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Harry Goldsmith was and will continue be the face of podiatry when it comes to the integrity of this profession. It's a sad day with his loss not only to this profession, but to his family as well.

He was the “real thing” that any person strives to be. With his great wisdom and wit, he was able to astutely provide podiatry the ability to understand coding in way that no other profession could. He was able to provide sound expert advice in all things coding.

His immense career in this profession cannot be put into words other to say that he was a true pioneer for podiatry. Through the APMA’s Coding Resource Center and especially through Codingline, he was able to provide an active reference tool so that we could code correctly without concern.

He was my mentor. He recognized that I was able to understand, digest, and provide expert coding advice in manner that was aligned with his abilities. He invited me to become a Codingline expert a number of years ago and I have been an active expert ever since.

When I answer questions from my colleagues regarding coding, I always think “WWHD” which means “What Would Harry Do”? Yes, what would he do? And with that said, I proceed to try to provide the best and most ethical coding advice possible. I hope that I can continue to do so and provide a legacy that will go on in spite of his loss.

He was a great man, podiatrist, and family man. I will miss him. And sadly, so will this profession. In the great words of the former Chicago Bear, Gale Sayers regarding the loss his friend Brian Piccolo the same can be said of Harry, “It’s not how he died, but rather how he lived”. And yes, he did live.

Harry may you Rest in Peace, my friend.

Joseph Borreggine, DPM

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02/10/2018 Paul Kesselman, DPM

The Passing of Harry Goldsmith, DPM

Words cannot begin to express my heartfelt deep sense of loss over the passing of my colleague, mentor, adviser and most important a dear close personal friend. Despite his involvement in many projects he was never too busy or too far away, to provide friendship, understanding and guidance to me and many in our profession.

While the loss to our profession cannot begin to be measured, the loss to his wife, sons, grandchildren, and extended family is unfathomable.

Harry did everything first class. He made it a point of earning elite status with his extensive travel, but more importantly he earned that same status and the deepest of respect and admiration from a whole generation of podiatrists. He willingly shared his extensive knowledge and expertise by educating us on an ever growing list of issues. I will be forever be in debt to this great man who taught me so much and was the antithesis of the expression that podiatrists eat their young.

His passion for the profession his willingness to share, show compassion and the friendship that he gave to so many of us is truly remarkable. But there was yet more. Having worked with him for over twenty five years I remain amazed at how much energy and time he was able to give to both the things he loved and cherished so much, his family and profession.

As recently as a few weeks ago Harry took the time to review some material I was struggling to comprehend. And then, as was typical of Harry on all our calls, he would always take the time to discussing non podiatry related issues. Travel, family and food were always familiar topics of conversation. Despite the gravity of his own situation and how he was feeling, he still took the time to ask me how I and my family were doing.

I am truly comforted by the fact that his illness was less than a year and his suffering was relatively non-protracted.

Harry may have earned elite status on several airlines, but more importantly he will forever have earned elite status in the hearts and minds of too many to count.

For sure he has earned a perpetual first class seat high up above, where I am sure he will be watching and providing guidance to all of us.